NZ skydiver survives harrowing plunge to ground after parachute fails

A skydiver in New Zealand suffered serious injuries Thursday when he plunged toward the ground after the steering on his main parachute failed, forcing him to "cut away" and turn to his reserve parachute, which only partially worked, police said.

The 35-year-old man, whose furious descent was only slowed when his reserve chute finally opened 750 feet above the ground, landed so hard that he bounced, The Associated Press reported.

The reserve parachute only opened 750 feet above the ground, causing the man to land heavily, Bean told the Daily Times.

The skydiver was "going faster than you would like" when he hit the ground, Bean told Stuff.co.nz. Reports said the man remained conscious throughout the ordeal.

Eighty-one-year-old Laverne Everett tells TODAY's Matt Lauer about her near-deadly skydiving incident, during which she began to fall out of her harness. The mishap was caught on camera and has gone viral online.

The company said it would carry out an investigation into the parachute's failure.